AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Site: Sydney.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: The Lakes Golf Club (6,879 yards, par 72).
Purse: $1.31 million. Winner’s share: $235,070.
Television: Golf Channel (Wednesday-Saturday, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.).
Last year: Australia’s Greg Chalmers won the event for the second time, closing with a 3-under 69 at The Lakes to beat John Senden by a stroke. Tiger Woods finished third, two strokes back. Chalmers won the Australian PGA two weeks later.
Notes: Tom Watson is playing the event for the first time since his 1984 victory at Royal Melbourne. Fellow American Kyle Stanley also is in the field along with Australian stars Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy, England’s Justin Rose and 14-year-old Chinese sensation Guan Tianlang. ... The Australian PGA is next week at Coolum.
